Descartes and the Greeks (Part Two)
Philosopher Stephen Toulmin talks about the origins of differing branches of philosophy. On the one hand, Professor Toulmin notes, there have been those like Plato and Descartes, who have wanted theoretical certainty above all else. On the other han...
Descartes and the Greeks (Part 3)
Philosopher Stephen Toulmin concludes his discussion of the contrasting origins of philosophy, focusing here on Aristotle. Professor Toulmin notes that Aristotle had grown up in a medical family and was more impressed by the pragmatic underpinnings ...
Is There One Truth?
Philosopher Richard Rorty argues that the notion of there being one truth is "...a bad left-over of Greek metaphysics and Christian theology." Professor Rorty says that there are "lots of descriptions of the universe," and states that "..in the phys...
Skepticism
Philosopher Stephen Toulmin talks about the difference between the modern use of the term "skepticism" and the way the word was used by the Greeks, as well as by Ludwig Wittgenstein. Nowadays, Professor Toulmin explains, the word is used to mean ref...
Self in Historical Context (Part One), The
Philosopher Charles Taylor talks about the ways in which the concept of "the self" has changed over time. He begins by talking about Plato and then moves through other major philosophers, including Augustine and Descartes, pointing out that there ha...